Hidden in the Mist
by IronKissed
Summary: He couldn't understand her. She was to different. She appeared so beautiful, like a porcelain doll that couldn't be touched or handled for fear of breaking the fragile surface. But the closer he got the more he realized the surface was actually made of ice. She hurt him and yet she depended on him for everything. He could heard her in his heart, whispering from the mist. NarutoxOC
1. Prologue

**Whelp, for those of you who loved this the first time I'm pretty sure you're gonna love it even more the second time. Yeah I know, why the heck am I trying to do two stories at once, well, this is one of my personal favorites out of the few stories I did do and I felt the need to post at least the prologue. I don't know how often I'm going to update this story, just that Sail the Ocean Blue is going to be my top priority (I have the ending planned out and everything for that one!)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and the quote for the summary belongs to John Geddes, from A Familiar Rain. Haven't read it but I thought the quote expressed the story well. **

**So my readers, after many cuts, fixes, breaks, tears, stress and stroke of genius I give you the first chapter of Hidden in the Mist. Enjoy. **

**Prologue: Acknowledged**

The water swirled as her pale hand dipped completely below the surface and her fingers curled. Bringing her hand back up, she caused small waves by running her fingers over the water's surface. It felt like silk in her hand. The large fish that lived in the pond began to swim towards the top, their slightly buggy eyes watching her fingers move. Their colorful scales reflected the noon high sun while their long tails swept like fans behind them. When one of the bigger ones became brave she watched it get incredibly close before pulling her hand out and dangling it above the water. The fish continued to swarm below her fingers, looking up expectantly.

Orbs of the hottest pink remained half lidded, reflecting the rest of the boredom that haunted her pixie features. Her belly was pressed against the smooth wood of the dock; unable to touch her due to the plain white _iro-muji _that covered her slight form. The orbs of pink swerved around the pond; she was alone except for the fish. The young girl turned her attention back to the creatures and allowed her body to relax while closing her eyes.

The black behind her eyelids was all she saw for the first few minutes. However, small specks of silver light began to flitter through the darkness. The silver specks flickered in and out before they began to settle and form outlines. The deck she saw was rough lines as she passed the forever moving surface of the pond and the legs of the deck sunk into the bumpy surface of the pebbled bottom. The girl concentrated on the water and watched as the blackness behind her eyes began to shift and twist while just focusing on the water. Every wave, every ripple she saw as silver lines. She was able to see where the fish were soon after due to the movements they were causing.

The young child's mind quickly became bored with the fish swimming. Stretching out her reach she left the pond and began to follow a beetle as it worked its way over the thin line blades of grass. When the bug became stuck at a stick, she continued her reach until she went past the grassy plain and to the lean trunks that made up the forest that lined the small island. The girl moved her hand to run her fingers through the smooth water even as the world continued to change behind her eyelids. The whistling of birds had her following up the curved line of a trunk in hopes of finding a few of the twittering creatures.

Finding the person in the tree was not something she had been expecting. Almost losing her concentration, the girl traveled up the person by leaving the limb they were standing on through their feet. The person was like the visitors that came to the island. The other women called them 'men' but this one seemed younger. Bent over the limb, his hands resting on bents knees, the person was facing her home. Curious, the girl focused harder on the figure. It was to her astonishment that the person's entire body skyrocketed in their hurry to stand and their head shot to face her.

The girl cried out when she felt a strong rush of pain. The pain attacked her from all sides of her mind forcing the girl to lose her concentration and pull back into herself. The girl scrambled to her feet, the bare flesh getting bit by a few loose splinters. Small pants of terror fueled the girl as she spun around on her toes and ran.

* * *

Her body was covered in sweat. Every muscle in her body was twitching with exertion; thighs shaking as a powerful heat tried to melt them from her bones. However, despite the pain she refused to move. Her hands were raised in the air and remained still due to concentration not skill. She could feel the eyes of her _onee-san_ staring at her, waiting for any sign of weakness in her form. The girl refused to give it to her.

Finally, when her body was seconds from giving out on her _onee-san_ spoke to her,

"Rest." Instead of crumbling to the floor like she wanted to, the girl let out a deep breath and lowered her arms. She moved stiff legs that were half asleep and remained standing while turning to face her _onee-san. _The older woman sat on a kneeling pillow, a long pipe releasing smoke as she sucked on the tobacco stick. Her long black hair was pulled up into a tight knot at the top of her head and her _kimono_ was a simple one. The girl's body continued to shake as she knelt down in front of her _onee-san. _Her small hands, almost gray in color due to their pale nature, came to rest in her lap on top of her own _kimono_. "For one so young, you are coming along magnificently _hangyoku._" Pink orbs looked up through dark eyelashes and into the smiling face her mentor. "We are finished today, _hangyoku. _Go about your chores now." The girl bowed to her _onee-san_ before getting up and leaving the room through the rice-door.

Other women, some dressed in highly decorated and expensive outfits while others were dressed like her _onee-san_, went about the house. While most of them were more than happy to talk amongst themselves, very few actually paid attention to the girl as she made her way through the halls of the _okiya. _The sounds of the _shamisen _and flutes echoed through the halls as women either played or practiced.

Due to the little attention paid to her, the girl was able to go out to the pond without anyone questioning her. There wasn't any comment on why she wasn't doing her chores. The only one who ever enforced that upon her was her _onee-san _and even then the woman rarely paid attention. Once reaching the water, the girl sat down and removed her shoes. Already the fish were up and nibbling at the surface. The young girl dipped her toes into the cool water, watching the nearby _sakura_ tree lose its pink petals that floated on the pond's surface.

"You found me." The girl's head turned on her neck and looked behind her. A girl stood behind her, younger than the others she lived with but still older than herself. Long black hair fell over the girl's slight shoulder and long bangs framed an oval face. Large brown eyes stared out from above a pale nose. The girl frowned as she looked upon the stranger's outfit; a pale green kimono without sleeves was tied loosely with an _obi. _The straw sandals that were worn down tremendously told the girl that this was definitely a stranger to her island. The stranger walked closer to the dock, her footfall making no sound. "What's your name?" She didn't respond.

The brunette stranger stopped next to her before giving her a soft smile. She could see the stranger's teeth were straight and white.

"Can you not tell me your name?" Blinking magnetic pink eyes the girl looked up at the strange girl. It was strange to hear a voice directed at her.

"…I am known as _hangyoku._" She didn't notice that her own voice was scratchy from disuse. The stranger tilted her head to the side causing brown locks to fall over one shoulder and bare a slender neck.

"That's a title, not a name." Pink eyes bore into brown. "…do you have a name?"

"…I am known as _hangyoku._" The girl turned away from the stranger deciding that she wasn't worth her time any more. The fish were nibbling on the bottom of her feet and had been for a while. It tickled slightly. She wondered what she would do today. Pink eyes rose from the water and the fish to look out into the forest. Boredom was beginning to grab hold. She would probably end up following around one of the others. They hated when she did it but left her to it as long as she didn't bother them. To many complaints had ended with everyone suffering. After dinner she would perhaps see if she could find new type of bug.

"I am not suppose too be talking to you," the strange girl stated. "He says I shouldn't talk to anyone while I'm here." Her thoughts ended abruptly due to the stranger's voice. She looked over her shoulder at the strange girl in green. Usually when she turned from people they walked away; then, most didn't even bother talking to her either. Why this strange girl was still talking to her was a complete mystery to the young _hangyoku. _"But you found me. How were you able to do that?"

The sound of footsteps had her looking away from the stranger. One of the _maikos, _her face dolled up in the heavy white paint and outlining, was frowning as she walked towards the young _hangyoku._ The girl watched her take the small, controlled steps that were both forced and practice as the tight _kimono_ that covered her body restricting her movements.

"Who were you talking to?" the _maiko_ demanded harshly, her voice matching the cold eyes within the white face. The _hangyoku _raised one of her circular eyebrows up her forehead before turning to look at the stranger next to her.

The girl blinked once when she found no one. Confused, the girl began to look this way and that. There was only she and the _maiko._

"Don't play stupid, girl!" the female snapped out like each word was a physical discomfort for her. "I heard you talking to someone. Now who was it? You know you're not allowed to speak to anyone but those of this island. That was obviously a boy's voice."

'_Boy?_' the girl wondered, already allowing her eyes to close and the outlines to begin. Her reach stretched out past the pond, through the grass and towards the forest while also heading back towards the buildings that housed her. Her reach instinctively went for the brightest of the lights that shown and the _hangyoku_ found the stranger. Up in a tree like he, she now knew, had been the first time she saw him. Her surprise at him being male was forgotten in the wake of being snapped at by the young _maiko._ The girl quickly became bored with her words and, with small movements fell into the pond. The water engulfed her entire being, water bubbles escaping from her mouth and from underneath her body.

At least in the water there was peace and quiet.

* * *

The boy came two more times in the next few days. She never spoke to him yet he seemed more than happy to keep a conversation by himself. His voice was always soft, his words always gentle and even though he was the only one talking she never felt like he talked too much like some of the women she lived with. When he showed himself it was usually because she had found him hiding in the trees and he only showed himself when she was alone. This in itself wasn't strange since most of the men on the island preferred to have their presence kept quiet. The girl found his presence something to be ignored at first but his calm nature and coaxing conversation eventually had her listening to him. When he didn't bulk under her stare she found it more entertaining to listen.

The day was coming to a close and the setting sun found the girl by herself on the wrap-around porch that surrounded the entire building. Her small legs hung over the side of the porch, swinging back and forth as her toes dug into the grass. Half lidded eyes watched the grass sway in the gentle breeze. The wind tugged at long blue hair, gently playing with strands in a half-hearted attempt to braid them.

Boredom was a constant in the young girl's life when not training to become like the older women. Her passive thoughts wondered if the boy would show up; at least then she would have someone to listen to. As was per usual with the six-year-old when she was bored, she began to let her conscious slip and let her unusual ability to reach out and show her the world. She was able to go through the house while she sat upon the porch. Women were getting ready for the night and the males it brought; though, some were already busy. Her reach continued through her toes when she became bored with the compound. It went through the dirt showing her the hidden life that thrived under her toes. Embracing each blade of grass, it rushed through the ground.

When the _hangyoku_ opened her eyes again the world was blanketed by the darkness of night. A light chill played with the wind, coming in from its long voyage across the sea for rest like the rest of the world. A sliver of moon broke the darkness with its tiny children. The girl looked up the black sky and bright stars. She wondered what it would be like to reach with her ability to them, to have it run from one diamond of light to the next. Surly then she wouldn't get as bored as she did now. After years of roaming the island around her, she had every tree, plant, rock and stream memorized. From one stretch of ocean to the next she had memorized in her flourishing mind. Her pink eyes moving to the moon, the girl wondered what it'd be like to explore that. Would the dirt be brown under the snow that obviously covered its blank fields? Would she find little critters like those under her feet going about their lives without ever seeing the sun? Without ever seeing the stars?

The girl moved to her feet, sleep beginning to claim her conscious. Light patters echoed through the busy compound. She dodged running servants, giggling women with their faces painted the same color as the moon, and older women leading the males that always made her home come to life with so much noise. None stopped to ask her where she had been; none bothered to notice her. She didn't bother to notice them either. Walking away from the loud crowd and busy halls, she continued on to the path that led to her room. Slowly the noise began to die down, leaving only the crickets and light music.

And the muffled noise of someone's screams.

Curious, the _hangyoku_ paused in her tracks and turned to look around with her eyes still half closed. It wasn't necessarily unusual to hear the occasional scream within her home; especially when the males were here. Sleep far from her mind now, the girl closed her eyes and reached. The floors and walls filled her sight as she casted out her presence. The silver lines that always reminded her of the starlight built a picture within her mind. It took a short while to find the source of the screams. The girl's feet began to lead her in their direction. Two men, one holding the other against a wall, where hidden within one of the guest rooms. She stopped at the door that led into the room with the men. She focused all of her energy on the men in hopes of getting a better picture of them.

The man that held the other's head about snapped off its neck towards the door. A great energy threw itself into the girl's body causing her to whine and lose her concentration. Confused, the girl looked up at the door just in time to see it get flung open. A hand grabbed the front of the pink _iro-muji_ she had been given to wear that day. The world spun as the girl was thrown hard into the room. Harsh wood was her catcher, skinning skin from muscle and releasing blood. A yelp burst from her light pink lips as a wall forced her skidding body to a halt and her soft head bashed against the trim. Her world still spun as the girl opened her eyes again.

Red splattered across the wood floor. She watched some of the red fall in front of her. Curious, the girl reached out and touched the substance. It was a thick, sticky liquid. She looked up at the two males. One was on the ground, his eyes wide and mouth agape. The red substance leaked from his mouth and the large opening in his throat. His skin was changing colors from a flush color to a harsh pale.

"You must have been born under an unlucky star, brat." It took her a moment to realize the male was speaking to her. They never spoke to her; except, she guessed, the little male. Magnetic pink found the deepest shade of black staring down at her. He stood tall above her. The same liquid covered a strange object in the male's hand. The male started towards her, his long legs easily allowing him to reach her in seconds. "Though, what a brat is even doing in a house like this is beyond me. Thought they fixed child-slave laws. No one will miss a servant." The girl finally felt something about the matter at hand besides confusion and curiosity; annoyance.

"I not servant," she snipped tightly, her dull expression turning to one of tension. "I am _hangyoku,_ not servant." A nonexistent eyebrow was raised as if surprised the small bundle of flesh in front of the male had dared to question what he called it.

"…_hangyoku? _I didn't know they still had children like you practicing to be 'flowers'." She was already beginning to lose interest in the man before her. The little _hangyoku_ instead found interest in the man that had yet to move from the floor. A pool of red was under the man's head. Finding little use of the male in front of her, the girl shifted to her feet and walked right past him. The male watched her go. The girl placed her hand in the red pool before bringing it up to her face.

'_It's the stuff that comes out when you're hurt…_' she finally realized, rubbing her hand across the untainted floor. The red liquid spread from her fingers on to the ground. She recognized it only from seeing it after one of the servant girls had cut themselves while cooking dinner. Any mar on one of the working women's bodies was the equivalent to someone painting a black line through a magnificent painting in the eyes of the compound. Curiosity caused the girl to lean forward and look at the gaping hole in the man's neck. Red flesh and muscle glistened while white peeked through the back.

"You don't fear a dead man?" the deep voice of the man behind her rumbled. The girl paid him no attention and began to poke at the hole to see if more of the liquid would come out. The slow leak began to gush lightly before calming again. "Are you retarded, brat?"

She didn't truly understand the word but she had heard it plenty of times before from the other women. And while she didn't understand it, she knew it was an insult. The young _hangyoku_ felt her curiosity leave like the evening tide. Her face lost any sign of emotion while her shoulders slumped slightly. She stood up from the ground, wiping her hand on the skirt portion of her _iro-muji;_ the red stood out harshly against the pink.

The girl hadn't realized that she had forgotten about males. They didn't like her; they didn't acknowledge her unless to speak harsh words like the women. The boy had made her forget. He had lowered her guard without her evening noticing.

The _hangyoku_ didn't like that.

Completely ignoring the male behind her, the girl headed towards the sliding door in order to leave. She shouldn't have let her curiosity get the better of her. After all, why would anyone want to talk to her? They never had before the boy.

The little _hangyoku_ opened the sliding door and took one step out.

'_I wonder if he'll come back…_' she thought absent-mindedly. The same hand as before caught the back of her outfit and yanked the girl straight back into the room. Darkness was cast upon her again when the man shut the door tight.

"Do you really think I'm just going to let you go, brat?" She stared up at him with her dull expression. The male bent down at the knees and held out the strange item he held in hand. Magnetic pink eyes crawled over the item with renewed interest. This close, she could see it was a metal item that stretched out much like a knife and pointed at the top. The bottom half of the weapon was covered in bandages and was held loosely in the man's hand. "Do you even know what this is?" The girl looked up into the man's dark eyes, before her attention was directed towards the metal again. The red liquid still oozed off the point. Curiosity getting the best of her, the girl reached out and pressed against the side.

A sharp feeling sprouted from the girl's finger causing her to hiss and pull her finger back. The red liquid began to swell at the tip of her finger. With the pain still present, the girl brought her finger close and watched the liquid. It was pretty. Her eyes left her finger in order to look at the man who was still on the ground. The pool of red was large under him. What little light that could, reflected off the crimson surface. She looked back at her finger then up at the metal still in the man's hand. The man hadn't moved his position since squatting.

'_Can I make more of the red?_' she wondered quietly.

Before anything more could be said on the matter the girl felt another presence join them. The man shifted his weight quickly turning just in time to see the door open. A painted up woman sat on the floor, a plate of tea sitting next to her.

"Greetings sir—" The woman's black eyes went wide as she rose from her bow and saw the current situation. The girl watched the man's arm pull back at a surprising speed with the metal. Something deep in the little _hangyoku_ knew what was about to happen; but, she wanted it to happen differently. Her body taking control, the girl snatched the metal from the man's hand just as it was about to release it towards the intruder. Pulling up into a crouch, the girl tightened her grip on the slightly heavy item. Her small thighs flung her forward in a high leap. Black eyes were wide as they watched the girl fall from the sky like a swooping eagle with its talons extended. Her body collided harshly into the woman's, sending the woman on to her back and trapping her legs underneath her backside. The girl's own feet stomped into the woman's stomach. She threw her arm forward. The flesh gave way with great ease under the pointed end and sharp edge.

Red burst forth like rain and splattered across the girl's front. A scream was gagged out and more of the liquid ruptured from the woman's mouth. She stood over the woman, her hand pressed up against the cooling flesh of the neck. Magnetic pink burned into the face of the woman and watched with silent fascination as the color drained from her face and her deep brown eyes turned to an eerie black. She pushed at the woman's face with her blood covered hand. Her skin was turning tight and unyielding.

"Why did you—" The girl turned back to the male and for the first time since he had seen her the girl's eyes were light up. Blood was splattered across her face and the front of her _iro-muji. _The _hangyoku_ watched with wary eyes as the man walked to her and her kill. Neither one said anything as the man came and looked down at the opened wound. It looked exactly the same as the one he had placed upon his target's neck. Cold eyes glanced at the blue haired child. She barely came up to his hip.

"Master?" a voice hissed in question. The man looked to the door and his subordinate that now peeked around the side. The man rolled his eyes but motioned for the boy to enter. He watched the girl look towards his puppet. Her round brows popped up her small forehead. His underling's face sudden beamed with something far too close to happiness. "What are you doing here?" the boy asked. The girl blinked once before looking down at her kill. He had had enough.

"We're leaving. Our mission is done." The man barged past the girl, almost knocking her over. She didn't make a noise.

"Master?" the boy questioned. The man didn't answer and kept walking. Brown eyes shifted between his Master's retreating back and the girl. Her dull face stared blankly at him. The boy shrugged once before giving her a small smile. "Bye." He turned to leave but was suddenly stopped by a hand on his sleeve. For the first time since he met the little blue haired child, panic sparked in her eyes. When the boy looked at her she quickly hid the panic. It was like watching a door close.

"Bye?" the girl repeated with a small tilt at the end. He nodded.

"Yeah, bye. We're leaving now that our mission is done." The girl looked up through her long eyelashes at the boy. She released the boy's sleeve. She didn't understand the intense panic she had felt. Males left the island. They didn't stay. They never did. Not understanding, the girl decided that she didn't like the feeling. Without another look at the boy she left the room. She stepped over the woman, not touching the red liquid that surrounded her. She didn't find it pretty anymore. The boy called out softly to the girl. She ignored him. She didn't understand the strange tightness in her chest; only that he had caused it.

She didn't know how long she walked the halls. Her feet walked themselves. She didn't pay any attention to a thing. The pressure in her chest was painful. Her mind was confused; she had never felt this kind of pain before. Usually, she didn't feel anything and she was fine with that.

Magnetic pink eyes lifted up as the young _hangyoku_ stopped walking. A woman was coming towards her. A woman the girl was never supposed to speak to let alone look upon. Her elaborate _kimono_ was a glaucous blue and a silver silk was woven in an extraordinary pattern about the bottom. Her obi was tied in the traditional _taiko musubi_ on her back. Long sleeves covered the woman's hands. The back of her three-layered _kimono_ hung low over her shoulders, showing a portion of her back and the red neckline but still keeping everything covered in the front. Long blue hair was pulled back in to an elegant knot with an ornament clipped above her right ear.

The woman's eyes were straight ahead, never once resting upon the girl. The young _hangyoku_ watched the woman pass her. She was nonexistent to the woman. The girl looked down at her body. The red liquid that had spilled from the woman was still coating half of her _iro-muji _and portions of her face. The girl knew the liquid meant someone was injured. But this woman didn't spare a single glance for her. The woman passed.

She had never spoken to the woman before; she never actually saw the woman on a day to day bases, only at meetings which everyone was ordered to attend. But as she watched the woman's retreating back, covered in the red liquid and still confused about the boy and man, the _hangyoku _felt the word come from her mouth even though she didn't truly know what it meant.

"Mother…"

The woman didn't hesitate a single step; she didn't look back; she didn't acknowledge the girl at all.

"Mother," the girl tried again, her young mind giving her excuses as to why the woman didn't stop. She turned her body so that she faced the woman completely. "Mother."

The woman disappeared down the corridor.

She stood within the hall, wiry limbs limp at her side and eyes stuck on where the woman had disappeared. Others that lived in the household flew by the _hangyoku_ in a hurry, their legs flying past her in a blur of fabric. None of them noticed the girl and her blood stained gown.

Her body was acting on its own before her mind could comprehend. Rushing down the hall, her little legs carried her past other women that grumbled at her passing. The girl launched herself from the wrap around porch. Landing wrong, the girl fell to her knees before scrambling back up and continuing into the forest that surrounded her home. Twigs and plants cut at her bare feet as branches grabbed at her dress and hair.

She felt it burst from her feet and thunder across the earth with each footfall. Pictures popped up into her mind in a beautiful white landscape. It flashed through her mind every time her skin touched dirt. She flung her reach out far in desperate flight to find him. When she did reach him the girl's speed picked up impressively. Weaving between the trees and tearing through the undergrowth, the girl burst out of the woods. Her chest was heaving while her heart galloped.

A blade was pressed tight against her throat. She barely noticed the blade, instead focusing on the warm flesh pressed against her shoulder. Ignoring the blade the _hangyoku_ looked up into the soft face of the boy. His expression turned into one of shock but the girl didn't care. With a one-track mind urging her forward, she reached out and snatched at his bare arm. The boy reared slightly, surprised by her sudden movement.

The flesh was soft under her hands and warm. It was the warmest thing she had ever felt. A soft noise bubbled up from the back of her throat as she all but buried her face into the boy's armpit. Her sharp nose was smothered in the boy's scent but she didn't care. The _hangyoku_ filled her lungs while her hands continued to touch and roam every inch of skin she could find on the boy's body.

"What's—" the deep voice of the larger male halted. She pulled her nose out from his armpit only to shove it against his neck and take another deep breath. "What's she doing here?"

"She…found us."

"…do you honestly think that chakra was her?"

"Who else could it be Master?" The girl didn't care what they were talking about. She was obsessed with the feel of the boy's skin. It was the most and the longest she had ever made contact with someone before. Since the boy had yet to throw her from him as if she were rabid, the girl began to run fingers through his hair. The texture stunned her and instantly she was pulling on the strands. The boy let out a noise of discomfort but she was oblivious. "What is she doing?" the boy questioned while she began to push and pull at his nose.

The man didn't answer for a long time, not that she was paying attention. She had found the boy's mouth and was running her fingers along his plump lips. The boy grunted when she shoved her pale fingers in to his mouth in order to feel the texture of his teeth.

She choked and began to snarl when the male pulled her up by the neck of her _iro-muji._

"How old are you?" The girl didn't answer and continued to try and free herself from his grasp. A heavy shake had her turning to the man with a snarl. A brow was raised when sharp teeth were gnashed in his direction. Curious, the man reached out and placed his hand within hers. The snarling and fighting stopped almost instantly as she became preoccupied with feeling the difference between his skin and the little male's. Tough texture made her rub hard at the skin. The hair on his thick arm entertained her for a moment before she went back to feeling the rough skin of his knuckles and joints.

"She's little," the boy commented offhandedly. His Master wasn't showing any sign of stress due to holding the girl. Most of that was due to his brute strength but the rest was due to the girl's size.

"Let's go." The girl yelped as she was dropped on to the ground and landed painfully. The panic she had felt before came rushing forward, almost choking her. Without a thought, the _hangyoku_ threw herself forward and ensnared her small hands into the man's pants. The male stopped walking and glowered down at the kid stuck to his leg. He already had one straggler he didn't need another; especially when it was obviously a runt. Bringing up his other leg the male brought it down on the girl and sent her sprawling. The girl didn't stay down for long before she was reattached to his leg.

"I don't think she wants us to leave." He looked down at the girl attached to his leg before at his smiling follower. He didn't like the smile that was shining at him. The girl was beginning to run a hand over the muscles hidden beneath the fabric of his pants while another kept a firm grip. Looking down he watched the girl continue to try and feel as much of him as she could. When she got to close to his private areas he kicked her away again.

Again the girl was attaching herself to his side. She reached up her slight hand, and rubbed it along his bare side. He shoved her away this time. Seeing no end to the constant rejection the girl rushed to the boy's side and began to run her hands over him.

"She's obsessed," the larger male grunted.

"It's like she's never touched someone before," the little male mused, giving her hand to pet and fuss over. The little male watched the larger one kneel. She watched him as well even while she continued to run her fingers over and in between the small male's fingers.

"Geisha don't have children." The male was looking her over from head to toe, his black eyes hard. She lost interested in him after a moment of study and turned her attention to the little male. His palm was rough but the back of his hand was smooth. "Though that'd explain why she's small." The male stood up to his full height before turning around.

"What are we going to do with her, Master?"

"Leave her." The little male watched the larger male begin to walk back towards the water. Tilting his head to the side, the smaller male started after the other after detaching the girl. Before the boy had gotten far he was smothered by the oppressive essence. Panic surged through him as he spun around to face the threat and was slammed into by the girl. Nails dug into his flesh as the girl all but crawled into him. The boy was able to remove the clawing girl from his form and dashed to his master's side.

Almost instantly the powerful wave of chakra from before was back tenfold, crashing around them and clawing at their skin. The boy watched his master stop and they both turned back to the village they had left. The little girl came barreling after them; this time latching on so tight to the boy he felt blood begin to drip under her nails. Her pretty pink eyes had filled with an obsessive panic that caused him worry.

The boy never saw the man move but he felt the impact through the girl. Almost instantly the child was on the ground, eyes rolling back. He watched his master scoop the girl up and tossed her over a shoulder.

"Are we taking her?" he asked, slightly relieved when he saw her still breathing.

"With her ability to find us so quickly and that amount of chakra? I'd be a fool to pass her up. 'Sides, she's already attached." The boy smiled up into the gloating face of his master. He thought it was a marvelous idea. The girl was entertaining. While he lived and died by his master, the man wasn't exactly the most talkative of traveling companions and the young mind of the boy was starved for stimulation that didn't involve a blade. "We've wasted too much time. Let's go."

The rising mist swallowed the bodies of the males, embracing them into their depths and hiding the treasure they had stolen.

**Well, there ya go. Beneath is a list of Japanese words that aren't as well known and thought I'd help ya guys out. **

_Iro-muji—_a semi-formal kimono with no-design

_Onee-san—_older sister

_Hangyoku—_young girls bound to Geisha houses as children

_Shamisen_—three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi.

_Hanamachi—_flower town

_Okiya—_geisha house


	2. Chapter One: Confirmation

**Thanks to StarshipRanger7 for being my first review on this and thanks for GaarasMyBoyzz for also reviewing! If your penname is anything to go by GaarasMyBoyzz you'll like this story haha!**

**Chapter One: Confirmation **

The swift beat of a heart pounding in a chest. Blood thundering through arteries and veins. Lungs sucking in air at an alarming rate.

These sounds echoed in her ears. The scent of sweat filling her nostrils pulled her from the heavy shadows of her makeshift nest. A soft 'thud' echoed through the sleeping forest. Eyes glowed in the darkness the leaves caused with shadows. The taste of iron was on the air, bringing her further out but still concealed from sight.

The figure, panting deeply but quietly, looked around with eyes rolling in their sockets. The whites were clearly seen even from her spot in the tree tops. The figure was covered in small cuts and bruises, dirt caked to his skin and orange jumpsuit. Wrapped tightly in the arms of the boy was a thick scroll. She pushed herself deeper into the shadows of night when two more figures came bounding through the forest, sending up squawking birds disturbed from their sleep.

One man, a light haired Shinobi with a large shuriken attached to his back, sneered down at a more bloody, dark haired Shinobi. Blood covered the entire back of the Shinobi she saw before he fell against a tree a few feet away from the first figure. Confusion lurked within her mind as she kept all three of the intruders within her sight. It was the middle of the night and so far she had seen none lurking within her spot; it was why she had chosen it. The blood was a large hint to her that something was wrong. It made her blood boil and body tense for battle.

"So noble!" the light haired Shinobi suddenly sneered at the other with his lip pulled up. Neither noticed the orange figure. "Saving your parents' murderer and for what? What happens if we let him live?"

"Then maybe the scroll is safe from a complete scumbag," was the bitter reply.

"You're a fool. Naruto and I are two of a kind."

"Two of a kind?"

"I can use that scroll to achieve the same kind of limitless power." She moved further from the shadows, getting closer. She was prepared to stop them from getting too close to her hide out.

"The demon within him hungers for that kind of strength! You were right to fear him…despise him!" Glowing orbs turned to the orange figure as his features twisted into what she knew was the emotion called anger. She had seen it upon her Master's face when others did wrong or compromised a mission.

"Maybe I do hate the fox but not Naruto." A pale face lifted, hidden from the eyes of those below, as the figure in the trees scooted forward a little more. Her movements were slow, agonizingly slow, as to not unsettle the leaves and alert those to her hiding spot. She had been warned against being seen. "Not the boy." Pink searched the blue that made up the orange figure's eyes. They reminded her of the sky; or at least, the sky here. Like the Gods had cut out two sapphires from the sky and had hidden them away within this boy's head. "For him I have nothing but respect. He's an excellent student. He works with all his might…" The two sapphires were large within the boy's head; the blemishes known as pupils going to pen points. "But sometimes even so, he's awkward, clumsy, a screw-up. People have mocked and shunned him and it's given him empathy. He knows what it is to be in pain. That boy is no longer your demon fox! He is a citizen of Konohagakure Village! Uzumaki Naruto!"

Salt. The scent of salt mixed with water assaulted the air. Confusion clouded her thoughts again as her tilted nose picked out from the shadows. Water leaked from the two pieces of sky. Dripping down the high cheek bones and wetting the neck of his orange jumpsuit, rivers of water streamed from the boy's eyes. His knuckles had turned white with the strength of his grip on the scroll, pressing it in to his chest like a life-preserver. The water made her think of rain; after all, the sky did unleash rain.

Teeth gnashed together within the light haired Shinobi's mouth; his mouth showed those teeth by lifting his lips up in what could only be called a snarl.

"That is so sweet!" he spat out like poison. Her pink eyes followed hand movements and watched the Shinobi grab the last large shuriken on his back. "Just hearing you say so makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!" The dark haired Shinobi coughed, causing blood to flow from his back. "Well, Iruka I had planned to save you for last but sometimes things just don't work out the way you plan so say goodbye!" A battle cry flew from the Shinobi's lips as he charged forward, spinning the shuriken at lightning speed.

She didn't know why she did it only that she did and regretted it afterwards. The silver blades had flown from her hand, sent hurling by the flick of her wrist and plunged into green Shinobi jacket of Konohagakure no Sato. The handle-less blades plunged in so deep that it cut clean through the jacket and embedded itself into flesh and lung. One couldn't see the end of the blade due to the jacket. But in the autopsy it would still be noted; it would become a warning. She pulled herself back into the shadows, distancing herself even as the orange figure placed a well-aimed kick to the offending Shinobi's head. The light haired man was sent sailing and skidding across the grass covered ground. With the scroll still in hand, the young man glowered at the offender.

"Keep away from Master Iruka or I'll kill you."

"Stupid kid, should have stayed away. Get out of here! Save yourself!" injured Shinobi cried out.

"Loudmouthed brat! I can kill you with one blow!" Blood spewed from the man's lips, showing that her blades had struck true. Her attack had been hidden by the boy's sudden kick. With eyes narrowed and chin set, the boy crossed his two middle and pointer fingers in to a cross in front of him.

"Bring it on, you jerk! Anything you throw at me I'll give back times a thousand!"

"You're welcome to try, little fox!" The girl fled deep into her nest, startled by the sudden explosions of smoke. Her heart picked up its beat when not ten nor twenty of the orange figures appeared but hundreds; how it was even possible escaped the girl's mind. The doppelgangers were too close to her makeshift home for her to be comfortable. She would have attacked them but feared notifying the others to her presence. And apparently she wasn't the only one who found this feat both amazing and horrifying. The light haired Shinobi was pale faced (though if that was due to her blades or not she did not know), and his head swung on his neck in horror.

"How did he—?" he gapped, looking at the doppelgangers that surrounded him.

"What's the matter tough guy? Come and get me!" one of them challenged.

"You're going to kill me with one punch, right? Come on!" With snarky little smiles the doppelgangers turned on the light haired man with fists raised.

"Well, then I'll just have to attack you!" they all exclaimed with more than a little pride. And the flying of fists and pulverizing began. She watched from the safety of her nest, eyes half lidded. The doppelgangers attacked with the ferocity of a swarm of ants. The aggressive Shinobi didn't last long under the doppelgangers ire. Soon, knocked out and swelling up like a bruised peach, the doppelgangers all 'poofed' out of existence leaving only the real boy. She refused to come out any further from her nest but continued to watch the dark haired Shinobi and boy talk.

When the older Shinobi untied his _Hitai-ate_ and tied it around the boy's forehead whose eyes were closed tightly, she took one movement forward.

"Congratulations graduate!" the man declared with a large smile. "To celebrate this, I'll take you out. We can go for ramen!" The girl found herself still watching as the young boy threw himself into the arms of the injured Shinobi. It was only after they left did she succumb back into the darkness and find her solitude.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen laced his fingers together and propped his wrinkled chin on wrinkled hands. The silence of the building was made obvious by the cracks and groans of the old foundation and the sound of night outside. His desk, piled high with papers that still needed to be reviewed and signed, were placed in scattered piles. He had never been one for organization. Things didn't need a proper place because he usually remembered where he had last left it.

This night was not a normal late night for Hiruzen; that usually consisted of signing the last few papers or fixing others. Tonight though, Hiruzen was faced with a troublesome inquiry. After Naruto's scandal with the forbidden scroll, the elderly man had retreated to his office. Within the hour a blade had been placed before him. It was a simple blade of stainless silver, no design to identify it. It had no handle, the blade simply curving into an unsharpened portion which could be held. The previous owner had taken obvious care of the weapon. Hiruzen had been ignorant of the blade's origin and only after asking from his subordinate had shined light on to why he had presented a blade to him.

Hiruzen raised eyes to the two men in front of his desk. One stood while the other had been given a seat due to the injuries covering his body. Iruka, bandaged and drugged, was looking droopy eyed and tired. The other remained quiet and almost unnoticed despite his large size.

"I never saw the blade thrown, nor hit Mizuki," Iruka continued with a low slur that came from the pain pills. He was giving a summary of what had transpired that night with the forbidden scroll. Iruka glared at the blade finishing with a whisper, "If that person had wished it…they could have killed all three of us." Hiruzen glared at the throwing knife as well, not recognizing it to belong to any of his Shinobi. The blade was an enigma and that troubled Hiruzen. The old man rubbed tiredly at his wrinkled eyes and let out a hefty sigh.

"…This is problematic." Hiruzen leaned back in to his chair, which leaned with him. "If what you say is true, which I believe to be without a doubt…we have a problem on our hands. We don't know what this man could be planning. He obviously isn't after the scroll, otherwise it'd already be in his hands and he would have finished off Naruto and yourself. However, the fact that Mizuki is now dead could mean that that was his original target in the first place." The elderly man let out a deep, tired sigh, sinking in to his chair even more. "I'm getting far too old for this." Hiruzen turned his tired eyes on to the larger man.

The black pants, sleeveless shirt and blue-gray armor chest plate was as normal to Hiruzen as the clothing of any citizen. He saw it so many times a day that it was impossible for it not to be familiar. A white mask, smooth in its carvings to form that of a tiger was the only source of color on the man through the use of blue striped marks.

The man was a member of the ANBU branch. The ANBU was a group of undercover assassins that obeyed orders only from the Hokage, the military leader of Konohagakure, which just happened to be Hiruzen. _Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai_ or Special Assassinations and Tactical Squad, the Black Ops, which literally meant 'Dark Side', stuck true to their name. Their deeds were hidden by darkness and shadow, unknown to the rest of the world. They were secret to the point that the only ones who knew their true identities were Hiruzen and his two advisers. However, they did their job and they did it well. They were the true assassins of Konohagakure no Sato and they made up the strongest Shinobi of the entire village.

"It appears though that we may have an intruder." The masked man said nothing, and simply remained still with his arms crossed. He lifted the blade from his table and handed it out to the ANBU member. The man walked forward, his steps quiet and fluid. "The Inuzuka family was unable to get a single trail from the blade." Hiruzen watched the ANBU pluck the blade gently from his Lord's hand.

"Do we have any leads at all?" the ANBU's deep voice rumbled like a growl in his chest.

"None besides the wound on Mizuki's body. I'm placing you in charge of this, Tora." The ANBU bowed at his waist, an arm in front of his chest.

"Yes, My Lord."

"You're dismissed." The ANBU disappeared in a bang of smoke. Hiruzen leaned further back into his chair, sinking almost completely into the cushion. Iruka, still not yet to be dismissed waited patiently.

"Go home and sleep, Iruka," the elder finally said with a gentle smile. The young man did as bade and stumbled form the office more than ready to stumble right into bed. Hiruzen paused and waited for the building to fall quiet once more. When it was so, the elderly man pushed himself up from his seat and to the windows that covered the back wall (if it could be called so since the building was round). High, high on the mountain stood tall the four faces of past and present leaders. The regal face of the First Hokage, the cold face of the Second, the young expression of the fourth, and Hiruzen's own thoughtful expression towered over the village, the silent watchers that reminded all of the protection each had done during their rein; a rein that Hiruzen had given up but was saddled with once again.

Hiruzen didn't go home until much longer, his thoughts haunted by the idea of a deadly predator hiding within the trees.

* * *

Naruto was furious. He was covered in scratch marks that burned, his nose itched with the cat fur that was shoved up it and was now having to listen to a fat woman scream on about her demon-cat. Crossing his arms over his chest the boy sulked at his predicament. He was a Konoha Shinobi! He was supposed to be going on daring missions with life or death situations, not finding a woman's demon-feline!

"Now, the next assignment," Lord Hokage declared to the small group Naruto was part of. The Hokage sat behind a long desk that was filled with other Shinobi of Konoha. Motivational posters lined the walls while piles upon piles of papers were stacked high in front of those behind the table. "For Kakashi's Team Seven will be…to babysit for the Council of Elders; to run errands to the neighboring village; to help dig sweet potatoes—"

"No way!" Naruto was shouting before his mind realized his mouth was going. He didn't care though. His mouth usually knew what he wanted to say; his brain just never had time to filter it. "No thank you! Give us something different to do. Something important! Something amazing!" The thoughts of those beside Naruto ranged from agreement to the complete opposite. Iruka's face turned in to a heavy scowl as he banged his hands on the table and stood up from his spot next to the Hokage.

"Don't be a fool! You're only a beginner! Everyone starts out doing grunt work. It's where you get experience, so you can work your way up to the bigger things!"

"We've done tons of small stuff. Can't we get some action?" Naruto yelled at his former teacher.

Naruto's new teacher, and leader of Team Seven, Hatake Kakashi, had enough of his youngest teammate's mouth. A glove clad fist lashed out and brought it down on top of Naruto's head. The only see able eye, the other hidden by the Konoha _Hitai-ate _headband, glowered.

"That's enough. Knock it off!" the silver haired Shinobi ordered when Naruto hit the ground.

"Apparently Naruto needs an explanation of just what these duties are," the Hokage mused while blowing pipe-smoke out of his mouth. "You see, every day, our Village receives many requests for everything from babysitting to assassination. We take that tremendous variety and sort them into categories from A to D, based on the degree of skill they require. We have also divided the Shinobi into classes based on the level of their skills. After we of the upper echelon have sorted all the requests we distribute them to those of the level of ability deemed most appropriate. And if the Shinobi in question completes those duties successfully then the grateful person he has helped pays him a fee." The Hokage looked to the side of watch the Damiyo's wife pay one of the others besides him. "Thus far, the three of you have only just attained the lowest rank; level D tasks are the best you could aspire to." The Hokage paused to see how Naruto was responding to his speech. Perhaps his words had reached the boy and had started the beginning of a long, hard earned lesson of patience.

"I had pork ramen for lunch yesterday, so I think I'll have miso ramen today," Naruto hummed to himself, his stomach growling with his thoughts on food. Frustration burned the Hokage as he thundered,

"Are you evening listening?" Kakashi sighed heavily while scratching at the back of his silver hair.

"I'm sorry," the silver haired Shinobi sighed heavily a second time.

"I don't want to hear it!" Naruto shouted from his spot on the floor. "All the old fart ever does is apologize and then give me a lecture. But it's not fair. There's more to me than the trouble-making screw up the old man thinks I am!" A heavy silence fell on the group as the adults looked down on the boy. The Hokage looked upon the pouting boy before smiling softly.

"Very well since you put it that way," the Hokage's deep voice rumbled, causing the heads of Team Seven to pop. "I will permit you to attempt a C-rank task-usually reserved for Shinobi of the Journeyman level the protection of two certain individuals." Naruto all but flew up from the wooden floor, a smile going from ear to ear in his excitement.

"Who are they? Great Lords? The Daimyo? A princess?" he shouted loudly. The Hokage only chuckled, chomping his pipe between his lips and sucking the smoke into his lungs.

"Compose yourself. I'll perform the introductions straightaway." A Shinobi was sent to gather the individuals. Naruto, excitement causing his body to shiver, felt his heart jump when the door was slid back open. His heart instantly plummeted however when an elderly man walked in through the door.

Wrinkled and sun withered the man lumbered into the room, a bottle of sake in hand. Gray hair stuck out from the man's head while a thick beard covered the lower portion of his face. Angry, black eyes glowered through wire rimmed glasses. His outfit was simple and bland. Naruto's arms crossed his chest with a heavy grumble.

"What's going on here?" the man complained in a deep, irritable voice. "They look like a bunch of wet nosed brats." The old man tossed back his sake and chugged from the bottle. With cheeks turned a light rose, the man leaned heavily against the door frame. "Especially the midget. He's got the face of an imbecile. It's a joke, right? You kids aren't really Shinobi, are you?" Naruto snickered to himself, while getting up from the floor.

"Who'd you mean? Which midget? Which imbecil—" Naruto chortled while looking from side to side at his two teammates. Naruto's face fell quickly when he saw that neither the girl, Sakura, or the other boy, Sasuke, were taller than he. Anger boiled in his stomach causing Naruto fling forward. "I'll kill him!" Naruto's teacher lashed out and caught the boy back the back of his orange sweater, clothes-lining him with his own collar.

"Wrong. No killing the old man you've been assigned to protect."

"I am Tazuna, a bridge builder of ultimate renown. Until I am safely back in my own country, where I'll be completing my next bridge, you'll be expected to protect me even if it costs you your lives!" Tazuna moved to the side, showing that he wasn't the only one to have entered the room. It suddenly came to Naruto that the Hokage had mentioned 'them' not 'him'. And Naruto could not have been happier that it was 'them' and not just 'him'.

The person to walk in was a girl. Naruto's breath caught in his throat as the girl quietly made her entrance, head tilted down and magnetic pinks eyes looking up through dark lashes. Compared to the man, the girl could have definitely been a princess. Her kimono was dark in color while the skirt and sleeves were decorated in pink sakura blossoms. Even Naruto, who wasn't even aware of what he was thinking, couldn't help but notice the way the blossoms accented her eyes. Had it not been for her blue hair and pink eyes he would have thought the dark color too much on someone who appeared to be as old as he was.

"This is Nagisa." The girl bowed lightly. "You will be escorting Tazuna and herself to the Land of Waves."

* * *

Naruto pranced about the dirt street, a smile etched from one ear to the next on his face. He couldn't believe that he was _finally_ out of the Village! It wasn't that he hadn't been allowed out of the Village, it was just that he had never had a reason to go or anywhere else to go. Now, excitement at all the new sights, that really weren't all that new this close to the Village gates, and thrilled for the adventure to come, Naruto sprang forward, blue eyes sparkling.

"Road trip!" he cheered, thrusting his hands up high.

"What are you babbling about?" Sakura barked, hands planted firmly on her hips. Naruto peered over at the only girl on his team. Sakura was standing next to the other girl who currently wore a backpack much like the rest of them. Naruto felt his energy cool a bit as he looked at the two girls.

Sakura was obviously the taller out of the two and had a more womanly figure. But then, the male part of Naruto's mind interrupted, that could simply be because Sakura wore a tight red kimono with large slits up the side and tight green shorts that went to her knees. The not-yet-completely-finished male part of Naruto's brain continued to compare the two females that were obvious different. Sakura's light pink hair stood out against the navy blue of the girl's hair. Sakura's sharp features caused the girl's softer, almost pixie like features to seem even younger.

"What are you staring at loser?" Naruto quickly turned away from the girls. The hurt at Sakura's harsh words were quickly forgotten with the new surroundings.

"This'll be the first time in my life I've ever been outside the Village!" Naruto admitted with a bright smile.

"Am I really expected to place my life in the hands of this fool?" Tazuna demanded hotly, jabbing finger in the boy's direction. Kakashi sighed heavily and shook his head.

"There's no call for concern. I'm an Elite Shinobi and I'll be along too." Naruto spun on old man with self-righteous anger.

"Listen, you old geezer! You don't mess with Shinobi. Ever! Especially not a really good one, like me!" Naruto stabbed a finger at the old man who continued to peer down his nose at him. "I am the cream of the Elite. In fact, one day I'm gonna be the next Lord Hokage! So remember my name! It's Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Hokage, eh? The Lord of your Village? The best there is? I don't think someone like you has it in him?" Tazuna provoked.

"Well, you're old and stupid! I am doing all the right things, and I'm doing them fast. And when I become Hokage, you're gonna wish you were a lot more respectful to me right now!" Naruto hollered. Tazuna paused in the middle of his drink and lowered his bottle.

"Respect you? I don't think so. Not even if you did become Hokage." A vein about popped in Naruto's forehead from the anger that swelled in his chest.

"_You are dead!_"

"I said _no_, you little dunce."

"Why do you wish to become Hokage?" Naruto paused in his mad thrashing against Kakashi's bind against his neck to look at the bright pink eyes staring at him. The two orbs blinked slowly when Naruto only stared before a slow, soft smile crossed her lips. "I did not mean to interrupt your anger." Naruto pulled up right, a blush crossing his cheeks. Kakashi let his jacket go and continued on with the group. Still terribly flustered for some reason, Naruto babbled for a moment before pointing at the group. The girl looked after them before nodding and looking back. "We should follow them."

Naruto tailed after the girl, not quite sure what to think of her. The group continued on for a short while, Naruto beginning to forget about what was said earlier under the coaxing of the girl next to him. She allowed him to babble and chatter without so much as a hint of annoyance and enough enticing that it kept Naruto going. Their conversation however, was cut short by the pink haired Sakura turning to the bridge builder.

"Mr. Tazuna?"

"What now?" he grumbled.

"You come from the Land of Waves, right?"

"What of it?" The girl turned away from the man in order to look to their silver haired teacher.

"Kakashi-sensei, are there Shinobi in that country too?" Kakashi shook his head in a negative manner.

"No, not in the Land of Waves. But as a general rule even with all the difference that exist in local customs and cultures. Most other lands have their own Hidden Village where a Shinobi Clan resides. For most of the countries on this continent, the Shinobi Villages serve as the military force. They protect their own people and handle the ongoing relations with the neighboring countries. Yet, the Villages do not answer to the rules of their native countries. Instead, they are on an equal footing with the Government. In the case of very small island nations where an invasion would be difficult to mount, a Shinobi Village is regarded as unnecessary. Among the various Shinobi Villages, in particular, those located in the Land of Konoha, Kiri, Kumo, Suna and Iwa are large—and their strength is immense. Those are called the Five Great Lands of Shinobi. They are also the only places where the Shinobi leaders call themselves Kage, or Shadow.

"Those legendary leaders, Hokage—or Fire Shadow—and Mizukage—or Water Shadow—for example, plus Raikage, Kazekage, and Tuschikage are known to Shinobi everywhere as the Five Shadows; the ultimate commanders of all of the tens of thousands of Shinobi throughout the world." A soft giggle came from Sakura who brought her hands up in front of her and smiled big.

"Really?" her voice rose into a higher pitch. "Hokage is _so_ amazing!" Kakashi let out his own chuckle.

"You obviously don't think so." Sakura's face flushed just as bright as her hair. Kakashi let out a full laugh this time. "There's nothing to worry about," the man comforted with a quick pat to Sakura's head. "You won't face any duels with Shinobi from other clans while you're handling C level Duties."

"So I don't have to worry about encountering any foreign Shinobi?"

"Of course not!"

"Are you also from Land of Waves, Nagisa?" Naruto looked over his shoulder and to the large eyed girl. While he wouldn't say it out loud, the boy was also curious about their second companion. The girl was walking beside Sakura, hands clasped lightly in front of her. Nagisa shook her head lightly, the long side bangs twisting with her head.

"I am from the Land of Mist." Sakura's head tilted to the side before her mouth began to open to speak again. Naruto beat her to the punch.

"Why are you going to the Land of Waves then?" The girl smiled softly at Naruto, causing his own cheeks to flush. She was so different looking than the other girls he had associated with before. It wasn't just her looks either. The very fact she smiled so softly at Naruto instead of screaming was strange for the boy.

"A relative of mine lives there," Nagisa explained, her voice easy and gentle.

"Why are you going to see your relative?" Sakura asked. Nagisa tilted her head just so causing the side bangs to dangle. Her hair was clipped extremely short to her head. That was also strange in Naruto's mind. Most girls in his class had had long hair. Her hair came off in little short spikes due to the shortness except for two long pieces that went down in front of her ears and stopped at her collarbone. Each piece was clipped with a silver bangle. "And why were you in Konoha to begin with?" Something in Naruto's stomach tightened when Nagisa's pink orbs turned to Sakura. He couldn't explain what it was for Nagisa was quick to look back at him with the same smile.

"I am _maiko_." The title meant nothing to Naruto but it obviously meant something to Sakura. The pink haired girl was now looking at Nagisa with a mix of wonder and disgust. "My relative has been giving a few possessions of mine from my parents so that I do not need to journey all the way back home. The _okiya _I reside in is past Konohagakure no Sato. This is easier for me to journey than all the way to Kirigakure no Sato."

"Watch out," Sasuke suddenly cut in, gripping Nagisa's elbow. The girl turned and raised small, round eyebrows at him. The boy simply pointed down at the puddle. Nagisa's eyes flashed to the water before smiling at Sasuke.

"Thank you."

"What's a _maiko_?" Naruto questioned, greatly confused.

"A Geisha in training," Kakashi answer the boy, his lips moving underneath his mask into a smile. "_Maiko _is the term used for a Geisha in training. Though, you are a bit young aren't you?"

"I have been in services to my _onee-san_ since I was very young."

"So she's like a Genin then?" Nagisa lifted a hand and giggled into the lightly curled fist.

"That is one way to put it," the blue haired _maiko _agreed.

The sound of metal against metal caused all conversation to pull to a halt. All heads turned to the back of the group where Kakashi resided, wrapped tight in a chain made of small shuriken like pieces. The chain bit into Kakashi's skin, holding his arms tight against his body.

Two men that had not been there a moment before knelt behind the Shinobi, each holding an end of the chain. Screams picked up from Sakura and shouts from the males.

"One little piggy," the smallest of the two males sneered. Then the two men pulled.

Blood, organs and other body parts flew through the air and splattered against the ground. Sakura's screaming increased tenfold.

"_Master Kakashi!_" Naruto shouted. That only brought the attention of the two to him.

"Two little piggies." The chain was pulled back, and pulled into a lasso that began to descend upon the blond. The chain never made it around the boy however, due to a regular sized shuriken pinning the chain to a tree. Sasuke, the raven haired boy, pulled a kunai from his pouch and fixed the shuriken and therefore chain deep into the tree. The boy leapt high in the air and landed on the outstretched arms of the two men. A powerful mule kick was insured, resulting in powerful attacks to the males' faces. The chain was abandoned.

The two men split up their attack. The smallest of the two attacked Naruto once more, while the other went straight at Tazuna. Tazuna's thick arm rammed into Nagisa throwing her backwards and on to the ground.

"Stand back, sir!" Sakura yelped, tossing her body in front of Tazuna and before the attacker. A clawed hand was propelled towards Sakura, planning to go through the girl and get the man. The man never reached Sakura. Before Sakura was forced to fend herself, Sasuke was before her, blocking the man from getting to her. He never reached the raven haired boy however. A stiff arm grabbed the attack around the neck and jerked hard, resulting in the attacker passing out. Naruto's attacker was also grabbed and held in a firm grip that was unbreakable. Arms flailed and legs kicked but the man wasn't getting out of Kakashi's grip.

Eyes were wide while lungs gasped in air for pounding hearts. Naruto's blue eyes went to where the body parts were supposed to be but found only logs instead.

'_Kakashi-sensei used the Art of Transformation!_' the boy realized with stunned silence. Naruto's stomach twisted painfully while he pushed himself to his shaking feet.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Kakashi apologized. "I should have moved to help you sooner before you were injured." Naruto looked down at his hand and the blood that flowed. Kakashi hadn't been quick enough to grab Naruto's attack before the man's claws had cut into the top of his hand. "It never occurred to me that you would freeze up." Kakashi smiled through his black mask at Sasuke. "Good job, Sasuke!" Sakura helped Nagisa back to her feet, who was struggling in the kimono. Naruto watched with a still stunned expression, while Sasuke turned to him. Kakashi was tying the still knocked out Shinobi and his partner to a tree.

"Are you okay you big chicken?" Naruto jerked hard.

"Naruto! There's no time for fighting!" Kakashi cut in quick. "Their claws are poisoned. We have to clean that wound as soon as possible. If we cut it more deeply, the blood flow will wash the poison away. For now, keep as still as possible, so the poison doesn't spread." Kakashi looked up from the knot he was tying in order to pin the oldest out of the group with a hot stare. "Mr. Tazuna."

"What is it?" the man stuttered out. Naruto looked to the side and watched Nagisa walk to his side.

"I need to speak with you." Tazuna had enough guilt to show it as he ducked his eyes to the ground. Naruto wanted to shift under Nagisa's sudden unwavering stare but the fear of poison had him frozen. The girl was watching his hand with such intensity that it made the hairs on the back of the boy's neck stand on end. "Our attackers appeared to be Jonin Level Shinobi of Kirigakure Clan—Mist Shinobi. They are Shinobi renowned for their willingness to fight on until their goal is achieved even at the cost of their own lives." Naruto watched Nagisa get closer still until she was practically on top of him. Her pink eyes burned into the wound.

"Does it hurt?" she asked softly, making Naruto think that she was only half paying attention.

"It burns," he admitted gurglingly.

"Obviously they were watching and waiting for us. The sun is out, and it hasn't rained for several days so there shouldn't have been any puddles on the ground." Naruto watched Nagisa's attention break and turn to Kakashi. The strange look he had seen a few moments ago came back before disappearing behind a mask of uncaring. Pink orbs came back and continued to watch his wound.

"If you knew all that, why did you even let those creeps attack you?" Tazuna demanded, still a bit panicked from almost getting stabbed.

"I could have killed them at any time—" the one Shinobi still awake snarled behind an iron mask, his dark eyes narrowed dangerously. "I wanted to find out who their real target was."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We have two under our care at the moment," Kakashi explained his hand waving towards Nagisa. "Which of you was it they were after? You? Nagisa? Both? Or were they after one of us Shinobi? They obviously had no interest in Nagisa. And there has been no word of any Shinobi seeking to take your life. The request that was relayed to Lord Hokage was that you have an escort to protect you against any roving bands of thieves and brigands, same as Nagisa. In any case, it's clear this is more than a B-rank mission. To protect you from ordinary dangers until you complete the bridge you've currently constructing would be a simple thing."

"Has it spread up your arm? Past your wrist?" Nagisa asked, pulling Naruto's attention back to her.

"No," he stammered.

"But if you expected to be the target of Shinobi assault," Kakashi continued his scolding, "Then it is beyond question that this would been classified—and priced—as a mission for Elite Shinobi. You may have had your reasons, but it's never a good idea to conceal the facts when you are asking for help. As it is, this task falls far beyond the boundaries of the job we were assigned. Not only have you put us in danger, you have also put another innocent girl in the line of fire." Nagisa didn't look up at the mentioning of her.

"We're not good enough yet to handle something like this…" Sakura agreed with a slight quiver in her voice. "Can we quit? We'll need an anesthetic for Naruto's wound before we can re-open it and drain the poison. Can't we return to the village and have a doctor look at it?" Nagisa's head did come up this time and with great speed. Naruto moved away from her slightly not liking the sudden cold look she was glaring in Sakura's direction.

"I am on a time limit," Nagisa broke in, her eyes blazing. "I do not have enough time to go all the way back to Konohagakure, get this situation figured out and head back. My _onee-san_ has given me a strict time limit that I can be out of training in order to regain my things. I also have very little money that I can spend on wasting time."

"This is _complicated_!" Kakashi sighed heavily. Nagisa's stare had left Sakura with one more frigid glare before turning up to Kakashi with an almost bored expectance. Her small, round brows were lifted up in the same expectance as her pale lips pushed out in what Naruto would never call a pout but something much more dignified. The boy's stomach twisted painfully a second time as his wound throbbed.

"Do we go back now so we can make certain Naruto receives medical attention?"

This was his fault. He had frozen up when he should have shined. Once again he had failed.

Nagisa spun on her sandal clad foot and turned to Naruto when he plunged his blade deep within his wound, blood gushing.

'_Why am I always so different? I hate not fitting in!_' Naruto screamed with in the confinements of his mind.

"Naruto, what are you—! No! Stop that!" Sakura screeched.

'_By now, I should be really strong! But I blew it! Even though I've been doing tons of extra training every day on my own, trying to build my skills!'_ Blood soaked down Naruto's hand dripping into the dirt ground beneath his feet. '_I swear, no one's ever gonna have to save my life again! I'm not going to be the one who hangs back or freezes up and I'm not gonna be outdone by Sasuke! I swear it, by the pain in my left hand—' _Naruto turned to the group that was staring at him with wide eyes. Or, everyone besides Nagisa. She was once again honed in on his wound, watching the kunai and blood.

"With this kunai knife, I promise you, I will protect the old man. Reporting fit for duty, Sensei!" Naruto smirked into the stunned faces before his eyes settled on the one closes to him. With one, slow blink of her eyes, Nagisa seemed to have lost all interest that she previously held and turned away.

Kakashi replaced Nagisa's position with a smile that was just barely seeable through the mask on his face.

"Naruto, we needed a free flow of blood to clear the poison from your wound but you've exceeded the need." Kakashi knelt in front of the boy. "You could bleed to death. I'm serious," he chimed. Naruto's stomach plummeted.

"No!" the blond screeched, jerking his hand which was pulled back down when Kakashi gripped it. "No way! Isn't gonna happen! I'm not gonna die like this!"

"Stop moving your hand," Kakashi ordered, getting a good look at the flowing blood. There was no doubt that the poison was gone. Reaching into his bag, Kakashi pulled out a roll of bandages and began to wrap the wound tight.

"What are you, Naruto/ Some kind of masochist? Do you get off on pain?" Sakura harked. Kakashi was just about finished wrapping the wound when Naruto whined,

"It's all right, isn't it? I mean, you know…?"

"It looks like you'll be fine," the older Shinobi sighed, tying the bandages off. Kakashi was beginning to push himself up in to a standing position when Tazuna coughed lightly.

"Master, Kakashi-sensei, sir," Kakashi looked over with his only seeable brow raised. "I have something I need to say," the elderly man admitted with unwilling acceptance. "There is something you should know about the request for help I made to your village." Kakashi waited for the man to continue and wasn't disappointed. "As you guessed, this job is more dangerous than you and your student were led to believe. There's a real scary man who wants to see me dead."

"A 'real scary' man…?" Tazuna didn't continue but instead took a deep breath. "Who is he?" Kakashi pressured. Tazuna let out the deep breath and closed his eyes, obviously not wanting to speak his next words.

"You've probably heard of him." Tazuna looked up again and meet Kakashi's gaze. "He's a billionaire in the field of Marine Transportation. His name is Gato." Kakashi's entire interest was increased tenfold.

"You mean Gato of Gato Shipping and Transport? _The _Gato? They say he's the richest man in the world!"

"That the one. On the surface, he looks like a legitimate businessman. The truth is he's a ruthless, murdering criminal who employs gangs and teams of Shinobi, and traffics drugs and contraband. He starts out taking over companies and ends up running entire countries. He lives by every low and vicious trade known to man. It was just one year ago that he set his sights on the Land of Waves. He came under the guise of a business venture. Then the violence began and in no time at all, he'd take over our entire Marine Transportation and shipping industry, and we were all under his thumb. Gato now has a stranglehold on all forms of transportation, the lifeblood of an island nation, and stranglehold on all the wealth. The only thing he has to fear is which has been underway for some time; the completion of that bridge!"

"I see," Sakura mused aloud, hand on her chin. "And as the architect of the bridge and overseer of its construction, you Mr. Tazuna, are very much in his way."

"That means that the Shinobi who attached us were working for Gato," Sasuke assumed. Nagisa remained quiet as Naruto tried to keep up with everything that was being said.

"But I still don't understand if you knew you were the target of a ruthless thug with Shinobi at his disposal why didn't you tell us when you asked for our help?" Tazuna looked away from Kakashi again when he answered.

"Nami no Kuni isn't a real prosperous land. Even our local Lords are poor and I have no money at all. An Elite, B-Ranked bodyguard would be a lot more than I could afford. But if you all turn away from me now then I'm as good as dead." Tazuna then broke out into a huge grin and laughed. "But oh well! That's not your concern! You won't be there to see my daughter rand ten-year-old Grandson cry all day like their hearts are breaking! Oh and you won't mind if my daughter vows eternal hatred of all the Shinobi of your village as she lives her life alone! Heck! Well, it's not your fault!"

Kakashi heaved a shoulder shaking sigh.

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped," Kakashi finally accepted. "We'll continue to protect you, at least until you return to your country." Kakashi then turned his attention to their other subject of protection and found her staring off into the woods with a rather bored, eyes half lidded expression. "I'm sorry that you have been forced into this situation Miss Nagisa. We are going into a very dangerous situation and you have to options. I can have one of my students take you back to Konohagakure where you will get another group to help you and out of this situation or you may continue on with us. If you continue on with us it will be very dangerous but I will protect you to the best of my abilities." The girl looked at Kakashi with her expression unchanging.

"I must get to my relatives as soon as possible. I trust that you will take care of me until we reach the Land of Waves."

With that, their destination was decided and the group of Shinobi and their charges continued on.


	3. Chapter Two: Demon in the Mist

**Chapter Two: Demon of the Mist**

The boat rocked back and forth with the engine propelling them forward. The front of the ship cut them through the sea and mist like a knife. It was near impossible to see anything past the front of the ship and further than an arm's length to the side. The group sat in the long boat, Naruto in the front with the boat owner and driver at the back.

"This is some fog," Sakura whispered next to Nagisa. "I can barely see a thing." Naruto looked over his shoulder and back at the girls. Nagisa was peering out into mist. Naruto found himself slightly enthralled with the marks under her eyes. It hadn't caught his attention in the beginning simply because markings on a person's face weren't that strange. He knew of quite a few older Shinobi that had facial markings that ran through clans or personalized. He himself had three line markings on each cheek.

Her markings were dark in color and right underneath her eyes. Starting at the tear duct they branched out slowly before sloping to a point and jetting upwards towards the corner of her eye.

'_Like a cat's…or a lion's._' Nagisa looked over when she felt the eyes on her. A soft smile was sent towards the boy.

"We'll be able to see the bridge in a minute," the driver said. "On the other side of it is Nami no Kuni—Land of the Waves." True to his words, the bridge broke through the mist with all of its vast proportions oozing out like a monster from the dark depths.

"_It's huge!_" Naruto cried.

"Hey!" the 'captain' snarled through clenched teeth. "Keep it down! This mist'll keep us hidden but from this point on, we have to turn off our engines and row. We'd be in big trouble if Gato caught us." Naruto slapped his hands over his own mouth, his eyes wide.

The group was quite as they passed the bridge.

"Tazuna, so far it looks like we've been overlooked. Just be on the safe side we'll take an inland waterway through town to a point where we can make landfall under the cover of mangroves."

"Thank you." The ship moved under the original formation that the new portion of the bridge was being built on to. The old portion had large openings within it, permitting the water that all but swallowed the Land of Waves, to continue on its journey out to sea. The sun was blocked out for a few moments before the ship made it out from underneath. The sun was once again warming the area and illuminating the mist. Buildings stacked on piers that kept them from the water beneath. The mangroves were in between the stretch of the buildings.

"Whoa!" The boat easily cut through the mangrove, not a portion of the boat bumping into any of the roots that just barely peeked out through the top of the water's surface. The ship made its way to a more secluded area and the group disembarked.

"This is as far as I go," the fisherman stated. "Take care of yourself."

"Thanks," Tazuna said over his shoulder as the group continued to march forward. "…for taking such a risk. I shouldn't have asked it." The man simply nodded at Tazuna, and restarting his engine, moved off into the mist. Tazuna turned back to the group with a bright smile.

"Okay! Now, if I can just make it home in one piece…" Naruto continued to prance in the front of the group, easily keeping ahead of the others. Peering over his shoulder, the boy looked to the one closes to him. Sasuke simply continued on without so much as a glance at the blond.

'_This is it!'_ Naruto preened to himself. '_I'm not going to let him make me look bad again!_' Naruto jumped into action. His head snapped back and forth on his neck looking for any signs of danger. His hand plunged into his weapons pouch and grasped a shuriken.

"Over there!" he shouted slinging the shuriken at a batch of undergrowth. Silence followed his battle cry. Not even the birds sang in the trees. Naruto pulled himself back up to full height. "…guess it was only a mouse."

"_What mouse?_" Sakura screeched, her voice hitting the octave of a banshee woman. "Are you out of your mind? There was nothing there, you moron!" Kakashi tried to slow his cantering heart.

"Please, _please_," he stressed, "Don't play around with your shuriken. They can be just a teensy bit dangerous!"

"Hey! Midget! Don't go scaring us! Stop messing with our heads!" Tazuna thundered. Naruto wasn't listening however, and was back to trying to find the 'enemies' hiding in the undergrowth. Kakashi felt a light tug on his pants leg and looked down to find Nagisa staring up at him with her expression dull.

"Is this what Shinobi of Konohagakure learn?" Kakashi sighed heavily while shaking his head no. Nagisa tilted her head to the side watching Naruto continue to carry on. Kakashi was about to defend the honor of his home when his one eye landed on the girl. To his experienced eye alone did he realize the girl was as stiff as a board. But instead of saying anything the girl continued on after the Naruto. Kakashi's senses spiked at Nagisa's stiffness allowing him to sense something wasn't right.

"This time! Over there!" Naruto shouted, almost causing the man to have a heart attack. Sakura charged towards the blond haired boy and slammed her fist into the back of his head.

"I told you to quit it!" Sakura screeched down at the boy, who had enough mind to appear shamed.

"I swear! There was someone in there! After us!"

"You are _such_ a liar!" Kakashi walked past the two squabbling children and to the bush that Naruto had thrown his shuriken. Moving to the side the silver haired Shinobi showed the unconscious white rabbit. "_Naruto!_ Look at what you did!" Naruto rushed forward and grasped the rabbit around the waist, before rubbing his cheek against the bunny's.

"Just a rabbit?" Tazuna sighed in heavy relief. Kakashi looked around the area, something not sitting right in his stomach. With his one eye narrowed the man continued to survey the area. The sharp whistling was what gave it away. Kakashi's sharp, sensitive ears picked up on it immediately.

"_Everyone! _Take cover!" he ordered to the group, snagging Nagisa around the waist and throwing her beneath his body. Tazuna was bashed to the side by Sasuke while Sakura grabbed hold of Naruto. Kakashi's body was heavy on Nagisa before he quickly regained his footing. Standing above Nagisa, Kakashi looked upon their assailant. His heart stopped for a moment.

Standing upon one of the biggest blades Kakashi had ever seen, was a man that Kakashi had only ever seen in pictures. The blade was jammed into a tree, all but cutting it in half, and the man was standing on the long handle. Shirtless the man stood proud in a pair of orange pants and cameo colored warms on his arms and legs. Bandages covered the lower part of his face permitting only the cold, onyx black eyes and eyebrow-less portion of his forehead. The long band of his _Hitai-ate_ blew in the wind caused by his attack.

"Well, well," Kakashi called up to the man. "If it isn't Momochi Zabuza, the kid who ran off and left the Land of the Mist!" Kakashi's hand lashed out and put itself in front of the charging Naruto. "Don't interfere. Give me room," Kakashi ordered. "This one is on a different plane from our previous opponents." Six sets of eyes burned into Kakashi as he reached up and began to pull his own _Hitai-ate _from over his eye. "This may be a little rough."

"Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye, I presume? If it wouldn't be too much trouble could you surrender the old man?" the heavy, un-amused baritone mocked from the tree above.

"Assume the Manji Battle Formation," Kakashi ordered. "Protect Mr. Tazuna, all of you, stay out of the fight. That's the kind of teamwork this situation demands. And now Zabuza…" Kakashi pulled the _Hitai-ate _from above his hand. "Shall we?"

From her position next to him, Nagisa was able to see the red gleam of the man's second eye. Completely different from the black onyx that made up the other, Kakashi's red eye shown crimson in color with three black comma like marks circling his pupil.

Zabuza turned on around on the handle in order to look down without peering over his shoulder. His balance was immaculate, Kakashi had to admit.

"To face the Legendary Mirror-Wheel Eye so early in our acquaintance, this is an honor." Naruto was feed up with being confused and proved it by butting in.

"You keep calling it a Mirror Eye, a Sharingan Eye, what the heck is it?" he demanded angrily. Instead of Kakashi answering, Sasuke did it for him.

"Shinobi who have the Sharingan eye have mastered a form of ocular Ninjutsu. It enables them to penetrate and see the realty behind an illusion or spell and to reflect the power of magic they penetrate back on those who cast them. A Sharingan is one of the several types used by the Masters and there's more."

"Like what?" Naruto demanded once more. Zabuza's chest rumbled with a chuckle. "Exactly. There is indeed more. Most formidable of all is the acuity with which the Sharingan can discern and then duplicate its opponent's greatest skill." Zabuza bent at the knees and rested a hand on one. "When I was an assassin for the Kirigakure I possessed the usual Bingo Book—a kind of who's who of our enemies. It had quite the extensive write-up on you; including a mention of your impressive record. The man who had penetrated and copied over a thousand different techniques, Kakashi the Mirror Shinobi." Kakashi said nothing and instead focused solely on Zabuza; prepared for anything. Naruto cheered on his mentor while Sasuke glowered at the man's back. When Kakashi didn't bit as the bait, Zabuza sighed and waved his hand lightly in a bored manner. "Enough. Pleasant as this conversation has been the time for talk is over. I'm on a very tight schedule to polish off the old man."

That set the group jumping. Sasuke gripped Nagisa by the arm and shoved her next to Tazuna before the young Shinobi blocked the two in a tight circle, creating the manji battle formation. Zabuza leaned back on his heels, balanced precariously on his blade.

"But Kakashi it looks like I'm going to have to kill you first," he mused without much emotion. In one solid, fluid motion, Zabuza pulled his weapon from the tree's trunk and threw himself to the river that made up such a big portion of the Land of Waves. With an un-seeable sneer, Zabuza stood upon the river's surface, his blade latched to his back. Placing one hand with two fingers pointing upward into the air, and the other placed in front of his face, Zabuza allowed his chakra to rise.

"Over there!" Naruto yelped into Nagisa's ear.

"Is he walking on water?" Sakura screeched. Kakashi glared at Zabuza and his spot on the river. His mind running wild, Kakashi felt the enemy's chakra raise.

"The finest of the Shinobi Arts…the Kirigakure Jutsu." A strong mist rose from the river beneath Zabuza's feet and engulfed him in its white tendrils.

"He's gone!"

"He will come after me first," Kakashi's voice cut through the raising panic of the young Shinobi. "Momochi Zabuza of the Kirigakure Assassin Corps is a famous Master of the Art of Silent Killing. Letting your guard down around him buys you a direct trip to Heaven. I haven't necessarily mastered every aspect of the Sharingan eye so all of you stay on your toes!"

Naruto felt his heart pound with in his chest with each painful throb. His heart began to pick up speed as he watched the mist crawl from the river and swirl around him. The heavy white clouds made his stomach twist with dread. And when the voice wisped from the clouds Naruto's stomach clenched with one great clutch. Sweat poured from his brow and pits.

"There are eight targets," it oozed from the fog.

"What was that?" Sakura whimpered, sweat breaking out on her own skin.

"Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, kidney, heart…" the voice purred into their ears. Naruto's spine felt a cold shiver rush up it. It felt as if the voice really was purring in his ear, right next to him. "So many choices. What vital, vulnerable place shall I choose?" Naruto slunk closer to Nagisa with fear. The fog had swallowed up the entire area. His eyes were dragged back to Kakashi however when the man began to flash his hands in a series of fast signals.

'_This terrible blood thirst,_' Sasuke's mind whimpered. '_If I draw his attention by even blinking, he'll kill me!_' he groaned with terror. His entire body was coated in sweat that stuck to his skin like acid. '_I can't stay like this for long! I'm going to lose it. A master Shinobi, determined to make a kill, knowing my life is in his hands…I hate it! You start wanting to die, just to end the suspense.' _Sasuke begged his body to stop shaking but it refused.

"Sasuke." The boy's body jumped at his name. His mind swore that it was going to be Zabuza with a blade in his throat but instead the raven haired child met eyes with Kakashi. "Calm down. Even if he gets me, I'll still protect you." Kakashi's eyes closed as he turned and smiled. Even despite his mask, the boy could still clearly see the smile. "I will never let my comrades die." Sasuke's heart tightened with a feeling he hadn't had for a while; trust.

"I wouldn't be on that." Sasuke didn't have time to look but could feel the man's lust for blood at his neck. He knew, without a single doubt, that Zabuza was behind him. "Game over." Nagisa's head turned on her shoulders and stared into the face of Zabuza. His blade was held just seconds from cutting into Tazuna's stomach. She felt more than saw Kakashi.

The man's body barreled into the group and with five solid attacks sent the others flying from Zabuza even while plunging his kunai into the man's stomach. Liquid pooled from Zabuza's stomach. Kakashi felt the man at his back even before Naruto yelled,

"Master! Behind you!" The Zabuza in front of Kakashi disappeared into a mass of wet liquid. Zabuza's blade cut through Kakashi's middle, the assassin's eyes going wide as Kakashi's body burst into liquid. He felt the cold bit of a kunai blade pressed against his throat as Kakashi stood behind him.

"Don't move. Game over." Zabuza let his large blade hit the ground.

"Awesome!" Naruto cheered. Sakura couldn't stop the giggle of excitement. Her giggle was nothing compared to the chuckle that all but burst from Zabuza.

"You think it's over?" he sneered sounding as arrogant as a peacock on display despite the blade at his throat. "You just don't get it. It will take more to defeat me than mimicking me like an ape. A lot more." Zabuza cackled another time. "But you are good!" he complimented with a laugh. "In that short time you duplicated my Water Doppelganger technique. And by making your Doppelganger say something you'd have said yourself, you ensured all my attention would be focused on it while you yourself used the Kirigakure Technique of Hiding in the Mist, watching my every move!" Zabuza dared to press against the blade in order to sneer over his shoulder at the Konoha Shinobi. "Too bad for you…"

"I am not that easy to fool!" Kakashi's kunai cut into the Zabuza in front of him, causing it to burst into liquid while he turned on the real Zabuza behind him.

"Zabuza was a Doppelganger too!" Naruto yelped. Kakashi wasn't able to turn completely before Zabuza lashed out with a wide swing of his long blade. Kakashi hit the ground but it didn't save him. Zabuza dug his blade into the ground and using it as almost a kick stand, spun and slammed his leg into Kakashi's side, sending him flying to the river. The assassin's large muscles bulged under skin as he hefted his blade and chased after the Shinobi. He stopped a few steps in however due to the caltrops Kakashi had left behind in his wake.

"Foolishness!" Zabuza thundered after Kakashi as he disappeared into the water.

"Master!" Naruto cried. Zabuza's body disappeared in a puff of smoke before he appeared behind Kakashi who was trying to pull himself out of the water that was suddenly very heavy. Hand seals were brandished rapidly. The water swarmed around Kakashi, engulfing him in one large cylinder that Zabuza had his hand within. Kakashi remained suspended in the water, unable to move.

"That prison is inescapable. You're trapped," Zabuza sneered. "You running around free makes it too hard for me to do my job," the man stated. "I'll finish you later after I've dealt with all the others." The assassin made a hand sign and the Shinobi watched with quaking knees as a Zabuza pulled itself from the water, an exact replica. The new Zabuza snickered wickedly.

"Little Shinobi Wannabe. Trying so hard to fit in, you even wear a _Hitai-ate_ headband." Zabuza pulled himself up from the water and made it to the shore. "But a true Shinobi is one who has crossed and re-crossed the barrier between the lands of the living and the dead. Clothes don't make a Shionobi. You need skills good enough to rate a listing in my bingo book of enemies before you deserve to be called Shinobi. We don't call your kind 'Shinobi'. We call them—" Zabuza vanished for a moment before reappearing in front of Naruto. The man's leg lashed out and slammed into the orange clad Shinobi causing Naruto's _Hitai-ate_ to fly off his forehead. The boy slid across the grass. Zabuza's foot slammed down on the headband.

"Naruto!"

"Everyone, listen!" Kakashi shouted from within his bubble. "Take Tazuna and Nagisa and go! It's a fight you can't win! If he wants to hold me in this water prison, he can't leave this place. If his Water Doppelganger gets more than a certain distance away from his real body he loses control of it. So get out of here!"

Naruto was in full panic mood. The Water Doppelganger was glaring at him with full force. Shaking like a leaf in a strong wind, Naruto tried to get to his feet. His hand pressed down on the ground in order to propel himself forward. A sharp pain blossomed in his hand. Looking down at the bandage Naruto felt his heart stutter. His eyes traveled to the _Hitai-ate_ beneath Zabuza cameo clad foot. The pain brought back memories that had him standing and barreling towards Zabuza.

"Stop you fool!" Kakashi shouted from besides the real Zabuza.

"Naruto! What are you thinking?"

"Imbecile," Zabuza scoffed. The second Naruto got close, Zabuza's leg was lashing out a second time and sending the boy flying back yet again. Sakura glared down at the boy with worry and irritation more than actual wrath as he landed near her.

"What are you thinking, tackling him by yourself! You think you're so cool, but Genin like us can't—" Sakura's mouth stopped open midway through her sentence as she watched Naruto stand with his _Hitai-ate_ in hand. Shaking hard, Naruto spat out a glob of blood before turning hard eyes on to Zabuza.

"Hey, you…what's life like without eyebrows, freak?" Naruto jeered through his mouthful of blood. A tick appeared on Zabuza' forehead where there was an absence of brow hair. "Got a new listing for your bingo book right here! A guy who is going to be the next Lord Hokage of Konohagakure Village!" Naruto tied his _Hitai-ate_ back around his own forehead, the metal glistening. "Uzumaki Naruto! Konoha's Genin!" Sakura felt her heart take a step up on the beat. "Sasuke!" Naruto shouted over his shoulder. "Listen up. There's something I want to tell you!"

"What is it?"

"I have a plan!"

"So, it's time for some teamwork?"

"Ok! Let's get busy!" Naruto brushed blood from his chin. "Time for us to rock 'n roll!" Zabuza had refrained from talking up to this moment before sneering through his bandages.

"You're very sure of yourself, but do you really think you stand a chance against me?"

"What's the matter with you?" Kakashi cried before Zabuza could continue. "I told you to run! It's over. It was over the second he caught me! You have to do your duty. Keep that in mind. We're her to protect Mr. Tazuna and Nagisa!" Naruto did falter at that and dared to look over his shoulder at the elder man and girl beside him.

"Gramps?" Tazuna smiled at the blond haired boy and upturned faces of the other two Shinobi.

"Let's face facts. The truth is, I got us into this mess by lying. I've had a real long life and it would be wrong to let you four kids get yourselves killed trying to save me. So you go ahead. Give this fight everything you've got. I'll take care of Nagisa." Two bored look pink eyes turned up to the elderly man. Smirks were shared between the two boys.

"So that's it!" Sasuke chuckled turning back to Zabuza.

"Are you ready for this?" There was a large silence among the battle field as Zabuza looked towards the boys. Zabuza's shoulders jerked once before the man's head lowered and a chuckle began to rock his shoulders. The chuckle continued for a painful moment that had Naruto's confidence wavering.

"Apparently you don't care whether you live to get any older!" he cackled. Zabuza lifted his head and pinned Naruto to his spot with a sneer. "Playing at being a Shinobi like it's a child's game. I, however…" Zabuza lifted his hand, the muscles flexing under the pale skin. "By the time I was your age I had already dyed these hands in my enemies' blood." Zabuza lowered his hand as Kakashi grounded out,

"The Demon Zabuza." The original Zabuza's voice rumbled towards the children.

"It would seem my reputation has preceded me." Kakashi looked towards his students and those under his care.

"Long ago in the Village Hidden in the Mist—also known as the 'Village Hidden in the Bloody Mist'—the final steps towards becoming a full-fledged Shinobi was the most inhumanly difficult est imaginable."

"So you've heard about our little graduation exercise," Zabuza cackled.

"Graduation exercise?" Zabuza didn't answer Naruto, instead chuckling once more. "What 'graduation exercise'?" Zabuza just continued to chuckle. The sun cast murderous shadows across Zabuza's face when he looked upon the children.

"It's a kind of 'killing spree' among classmates." Naruto felt his heart stutter to a stop. Even through the bandages wrapped around his face, Zabuza's smirk of glee was visible. "Students who'd been friends, eating from the same dish, as undergrads were divided into pairs who were forced to fight against each other to the death. Think of it. Comrades who had trained together, lived together, shared each other's every hope and dream."

"That's terrible," Sakura was barely able to whisper past the lump in her throat.

"Ten years ago, the Elders of Kirigakure no Sato were forced to enact a sweeping reform of their barbaric graduation ritual because of the appearance, during the previous year, of a human fiend who made reform essential."

"What kind of reform?" Sakura asked. When neither adult answered Sakura demanded, "What are you talking about? What did the fiend you're talking about do?"

"Without a moment's hesitation…without any hint of qualm a boy who hadn't even qualified yet as a Shinobi butchered over a hundred members of that year's graduating class." Zabuza's head leaned back his eyes almost rolling to the back of his head. Naruto felt his body take a step back as a blood lust he had never felt before burst from Zabuza. His smile turned into a full force grin.

"Ah, yes. Good times," he triumphed. "I use to have such fun." Naruto really did feel terrified then as Zabuza's eyes rolled down to the children. The blood lust increased tenfold. Leaning heavily on one leg, Zabuza motioned lazily with a hand. "How bout I show you instead of basking in my own memories?"

"Show us?" Sakura whimpered. Zabuza's grin turned into a blinding sneer.

"Nagisa."

Like a sledgehammer to the back of the head Kakashi was suddenly bombarded with the feeling of stomach clenching terror. Which occupant of their group had insisted on coming, despite being faced with dead, and hadn't so much as twitched at the thought? Which of the group had simply watched with bored interest as the Demon Brothers attacked? And who now, stood as if it was a normal day in front of one of Kirigakure's best Shinobi?

"_Get away from her!_" Kakashi screamed at the top of his lungs, regardless of the fact that it was too late.

* * *

Nagisa was pleased. She had been growing bored just watching her Master have his fun, not that his joy didn't please her, and she had also been growing angry with the blond boy's insults. The fabric of the kimono was beginning to be too much as well, especially with the heavy fabrics she worn underneath. One solid pull had the obi belt around her waist falling and she shed the kimono like a snake shedding his skin. Free from the confinements, Nagisa's pale hand reached into her kunai pouch and pulled out one of her trademark silver blades.

The handle-less blade fit so right in the palm of her hand, her callused fingers wrapping around it in a firm but light grip. The cool metal was like a shot of adrenaline in an otherwise boring situation. It was the sign to her body that her Master was allowing her to come out and play, instead of being the good little infiltrator she was.

Tazuna's wide, familiar eyes did nothing for Nagisa. Her heart didn't stutter at the idea of killing someone familiar to her nor did his family's faces appear in her mind's eye. She only saw the blood pumping through his jugular vein and envisioned it going through his throat and spewing the red liquid that lived within.

Nagisa's blade was millimeters from plunging into Tazuna's neck and she could all but taste the kill. She didn't suspect the barreling body into her center. Nagisa flew backwards with her attacker, taking a moment to recognize the raven hair. Sasuke's arms were wrapped around her body, using his own weight and momentum to get her away from Tazuna. A spark of irritation peeked in the back of Nagisa's mind but she shoved it away while bringing her dagger to the back of Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke must have felt the danger coming for his hands released from behind Nagisa's back and shoved hard at her center. Nagisa hit the ground and rolled, allowing the momentum to throw her into a summersault and regained her footing. Her dagger was still in hand as she stared at the group, with their wide eyes and slack jaws.

"Wha—" Naruto started out before pointing a demanding finger towards her. "What are you doing?" he all but screeched.

"She's a mole!" Kakashi shouted from Zabuza's side. "Stay away from her!" The Doppelganger Zabuza threw his hand back and laughed.

"Don't you brats know anything?" he jeered, eyes glinting with mirth. "I can't just let my target leave and not have any idea where it is he disappeared off to. For all I know, Tazuna could have gone off to gain reinforcements. Luckily for me he wasn't that smart." Zabuza flung out an arm and motioned towards Nagisa with great theatrics. "I sent Nagisa after Tazuna with orders to kill should he become a problem." Nagisa tilted her head to the side, the long parts of her hair hanging down her chest.

It felt good to be out of the kimono. It had been to restricting especially compared to her normal outfit. Her large blue sweater that hung around her wrists and ended just below her backside; the baggy blue cameo colored pants that were shoved in to sandals that went up to the middle of her calves; all together it made it near impossible to tell if she was a boy or girl and it gave her plenty of room to move.

"Nagisa. Finish up here." Nagisa's head returned to the middle of her body and she nodded once. Sasuke being the closest became her target. The blade in hand was tossed at his heart. Sasuke threw himself to the side but didn't have time to counter strike. Nagisa was upon him in a flash, throwing herself behind his back with another blade in hand. Sasuke tossed a hind kick behind and Nagisa was forced to squat. Going for the vital veins between his legs, Nagisa lashed out with the blade.

"Oi!" Sakura screeched upon seeing her intended target. Sasuke tossed himself forward with his one foot. Nagisa's blade cut through air without so much as a rip in the boy's white shorts. Nagisa dodged under Sasuke's next attack. She never had a chance to attack again when a hundred Doppelgangers appeared around her and the fake Zabuza.

"Doppelgangers, eh?" Zabuza chuckled, gripping the heavy blade on his back. Kunai were pulled from pockets. Nagisa tilted her head left and right, staring at the orange clad Doppelgangers around her.

"Ready or not—!" they yelled. Nagisa sunk into a low crouch when the Doppelgangers launched themselves at both her and her Master. The blue haired girl snatched another silver dagger from her kunai pouch and brandished both. The Doppelgangers descended upon Nagisa from above. Her blades sunk deep into what would've been vital areas had the Doppelgangers been the real Naruto. Each one popped like a bubble and burst into white smoke. When there were no more of them around her, Nagisa knew that none of them were the real Naruto. The real Naruto was sent skidding across the grass as Zabuza cut down the fakes.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted while tossing something large from his backpack. Nagisa watched with her eyes half lidded as the object reached the boy close to her. Not sure what Naruto was planning, Nagisa rushed the raven haired boy. Her arm never stretched out completely before Sasuke reacted. The thing Naruto had tossed at Sasuke became obvious as Nagisa stared it down. A large shuriken, easily as large as Sasuke's upper half, was displayed. Sasuke spun and slammed his heel into Nagisa's ribs. She went with the blow, blocking it with her arm.

Sasuke leapt into the air in order to get more momentum in his throw and slung the shuriken. The shuriken whirled past Zabuza's Doppelganger and cut across the river towards Zabuza and the captured Kakashi. Nagisa watched its progress, and watched with mild interest as Zabuza snatched it out of the air. Her round brows perked up her forehead when another shuriken appeared from the shadow of the first. Zabuza's eyes widened slightly before he launched his lower part into the air, still keeping his hand firmly in the water trap.

"Still an amateur!" Zabuza jeered. Nagisa's heart finally picked up a notch when the shuriken behind Zabuza burst into a puff of white smoke and Naruto appeared out of it, still soaring over the water.

"Master!" Nagisa called out without really raising her voice. Zabuza's head turned sharply with rage in his eyes. Naruto flung his kunai knife and Nagisa's entire body stiffened painfully. A hot ball appeared in her stomach, burning through her limbs when she saw the kunai knife cut Zabuza's cheek. Zabuza roared his anger when he was forced to remove his hand from the prison or get the kunai in the back of his head. Turning with rage, the swordsman began to spin the shuriken and charge Naruto. The blond boy's eyes went painfully wide as he fell through the air. He had no time to defend himself from Zabuza.

Luckily he didn't have to for Kakashi was free. Taking the hint himself, Kakashi allowed the shuriken to sink deep into the back of his gloved hand. Zabuza snarled at his mistake and allowing his anger to get the most of him. Naruto hit the water before reemerging and spewing out a mouthful of water.

"Naruto, your scheme was brilliant," Kakashi complimented. "You've matured, all of you."

"The Doppelganger spell wasn't meant to take Zabuza down at al. it diverted his attention away from me while I transformed myself into the second shuriken! OF course, I didn't think that form alone would be enough to permit me to defeat him, but I was at least able to free you from his Water Prison." Zabuza chuckled with mirth.

"So you made me fly into such a rage that I unraveled the spell holding the Water Prison together?" Zabuza looked past Kakashi and meet Nagisa's eye. "Nagisa!" The girl didn't need to be told twice. Rushing across the water, Nagisa flushed chakra through her feet and ran across the surface.

"No! You didn't drop your own spell! It was broken from without. Just so you know, the same spell won't work on me twice. Your move." Nagisa ducked under Zabuza as he leapt over her and Kakashi jumped away as well. Nagisa never made it to Naruto when the two fighters behind her unleashed the same Ninjutsu. The roaring water had Nagisa riding out a rather dramatic wave and the turning to look back. Naruto was forced away from her due to the wave. She was no longer interested however, for Kakashi and Zabuza were standing off.

Nagisa was unable to see who broke the standoff for the men began to move at exactly the same time. Motion for motion the one matched the other.

"Through them all," Kakashi rumbled deeply, his Sharingan eye blazing. Nagisa's head stretched up as if trying to catch something. It smelled of salt and human. The girl's pink orbs stared with astonishment as she realized it was a putrid sweat coming from her Master.

The man was scared.

"Got that sickening evil look in his eye…right?" Kakashi mocked. Nagisa remained frozen on the water, not losing concentration on the battle before her.

"You're a pale imitation—"

"I'm the genuine article. No mere copycat stands a chance against me," the two males said simultaneously. Nagisa ducked down slightly, making herself small among the rough waves. Kakashi was absorbed with her Master. She had an easy opening at his back now, and could see herself plunging her dagger into his throat. But her fear of Zabuza' anger of being denied a death kept her waiting for a sign.

"You mimic me like a parrot!" Zabuza thundered, his hands speeding through hand signs. "I'll close your beak for good!" Nagisa was forced under the wrath of the water as Kakashi unleashed Zabuza's technique before the swordsman could even finish the signs. The water raged in the form of a dragon and slammed itself into Zabuza, shoving him across the river and into a tree that bent under the force. Spitting out a mouthful of river, Nagisa saw the senbon needles flying through the air. A deep breath was pulled in through her nose before she plunged deep in to the river and swam.

* * *

"You didn't do very well this time, Nagisa." Naigsa barely looked up from her knees that were tucked up tightly into her chest. Her half lidded eyes stared at the boy and the body thrown over his shoulder. With ease, the boy laid out the body of Zabuza before Nagisa. He was still wet from the river.

"You hit him in the neck," Nagisa grumbled her mouth hidden beneath the thick wool of her turtle neck. Her own body was still wet but drying in the spare sunlight that had finally broken through the heavy mist.

"Yes." Nagisa glowered at the boy and the tiny slits in his mask that concealed his face. The boy's outfit mimicked Nagisa's stripped sweater only was brown in color. His green _haori_ jacket with white trimming was thick in order to keep out the chill that haunted the mist. When the brown haired boy past, Nagisa reached up a pale hand and tugged at the long obi that kept his _haori _jacket closed. The white mask that Nagisa knew covered a round, beautiful face with large brown eyes looked down. The red swirl on the bottom of the mask and four waves that made up the Kirigakure no Sato symbol marred the otherwise white features. The long brown bangs , that also mimicked Rowan's own sidebangs, went with his head. "Yes?"

"Wake him up." The boy lightly chuckled at Nagisa before patting her short blue hair.

"I was planning on it, Nagisa; however, it might take a moment. I did, after all, hit his neck." Nagisa watched him pull a rolled up bag from his jacket and rolled it out on the grass. Inside, blades and other medical weapons were laid out. The boy picked up a pair of scissors and headed to Zabuza's form. "First I'll remove the wrappings around the mouth so the blood can drain out, and then…" Nagisa's head snapped up with Zabuza's hand as it clomped down on Haku's wrist.

"Enough. I can do it myself," Zabuza choked out with a voice like sandpaper. The boy pull his hand back as Zabuza pulled at the wrapping around his face.

"Well now, awake already?" Zabuza pulled himself up and grabbed the senbon buried in his neck.

"You have all the finesse of a butcher." With one giant pull, the needles were pulled from his neck. Blood spewed from the wounds. Nagisa crawled up to Zabuza's form and placed her thumb on the round wound. A black eye glowered at Nagisa from the corner but permitted her hand there.

"Gently, please, Zabuza sir. If you pull those out any which way, you really will kill yourself!" Nagisa curled closer to Zabuza's form and pressed her whole palm to the wounds. "Here, Nagisa. That's highly unsanitary." Nagisa blinked at the napkin the boy was holding out. With a light huff Nagisa took it and placed it against the wounds.

"How long are you going to keep that ghoulish mask on? Take it off!" Zabuza barked at the boy. The dark haired boy reached up and pulled the white mask from his face.

"Old habits die hard and it was also useful for my monkey pantomime routine." The pale lips and thin brows were shown as the mask was taken off. "They'd have killed you if I hadn't intervened." Zabuza spit out a large clot of blood.

"You needn't have targeted the vulnerable areas in the neck just to put me into a deathlike trance. Any number of other points on my body would have done!" Zabuza lifted his face towards the sky as Nagisa grabbed a roll of bandages and began to rewrap the lower portion of his face. "But you are such a sadistic little brat." The small, defined lips on the boy's face smiled.

"Exactly! I didn't want to mar your perfect body, Zabuza, sir." Nagisa tied off the bandages before curling up next to Zabuza's back. The warmth seeped into her sweater and the pounding of his heart brought her comfort. "And besides, the neck is so much less muscular than the rest of the body. I can more precisely target the points. But of course, someone like you will recover much more quickly, right?" Zabuza glared at the boy this time. The man snorted before reaching behind himself and tugging hard on Nagisa's leg.

"You are so innocent, so guileless…no doubt that's why I like you," Zabuza scoffed. The man looked over his shoulder and to the girl plastered to his back. "You didn't kill any of the brats." Nagisa lifted her head slightly but didn't appear concerned at all by the man's tone. A rough hand fell upon the girl's head and his nails dug into her scalp.

"Without us even noticing the mist has lifted," Haku stated looking to the ocean that was always seeable on the island. "Next time…will you be all right?" Nagisa felt the man's chuckle reverberate throughout her body.

"Next time, I'll break the Sharingan spell!"


End file.
